On my way

So I am getting a few things under control before I leave for Caracas. I will be beginning a new blog that will be dedicated to the work I am doing in Caracas. I think that it would be best to keep this blog as my own private project if I am going to be serious about making some of the work that I do public through the same medium. Here I will remain free to say whatever I like, while on the other blog, Andando en Caracas, I will be talking much more about the experience of being back in the city that hosted me for nearly a year during my dissertation research.

While I am there I expect to see a lot of activity. This should give me lots to observe while I make my way through the streets. Hopefully I can find as many people interested in giving their opinions and telling their stories as possible. So far, just in preparing for this trip, there have been many people who have agreed to make themselves available for questions. The next step is actually finding and talking with them.

Much of what I will be sharing here on blogger will be the sights and sounds of the city. I realize that I am not likely to stay in the same part of the city that I called home before, and that my experience will be quite different. Still, I want to share what I routinely experience in my short treks throughout the city with my friends in the US and elsewhere. There are some things that I would like to share--things that I experienced before--that are extremely difficult to describe. It may be difficult to communicate to someone the sights and sounds of the city, especially when they escape the traditional forms that we may find ourselves accustomed to in our own cities. My descriptions need help, so I am going to do what I can to remedy the situation.

On Andando en Caracas I expect to post audio and video files along with text. If all goes well, the media will be available as a podcast, which would be easily downloaded with a variety of podcasting software, such as iTunes. If you are interested in taking part in this little experiment, I welcome your joining the discussion by subscribing to the new blog. A link to Andando en Caracas should apear to the right of the screen.

feeling the pressure

Oh man, I feel bad about slacking on you guys. I have been busy with a lot of nothing for the last couple months. At the moment I am preparing for a follow up trip to my research site. I will be there for around a month, and I hope to be able to work as fast as possible.

Of course, this means that I will need as much cooperation as possible from all the people participating with me. That is something I will have very little control over. I think that I may spend a good deal of time hunting down old contacts and friends. During slow times, I can do a lot of sketching, taking pictures, and trying to record as constantly as possible (video and audio).

Most of all, I'll be keeping you posted on what I'm up to while I'm gone. I promise. I won't forget about you again... for the 5th time.

Thanks Mom and Dad

So why is it that I continue to find reasons to thank my parents for things that I could have sworn created the core of adolescent conflict throughout the 90s? As a 7th grader I was sent to the Webb School of Knoxville, a school that I find a terribly difficult to talk about in positive terms. Still, I have found that my experience that only lasted a year at this school wasn't all bad. Sure, I remember fights, racism, snobs, and awkward youth, but those are all things I could find anywhere else. At least, I am convinced that these couldn't be particular to one school that I happened to suffer through.

Despite all the things I did not like about the school, not to mention the things that would inspire fights with my parents, I have come to realize that I have not suffered alone. One of the subjects that I hated most, a subject I could not escape by coming home, has begun to spread like a virus again. Like an epidemic that arises 50 years after vaccines have presumably done the job of eradication, the study of Latin is plaguing middle school children once again. For god's sake, they even use the same book that I remember painfully lugging around. Although the new edition doesn't look as bad, you cant trick me into thinking it's not still Latin by putting a shiny paperback cover on that thing! Ecce Romani! How can we allow children to suffer this illness once again?

Don't be fooled. There are some who will tell you that Latin is great for your SAT scores. I would argue against this, as most kids in school don't learn their Spanish vocab well enough to ask for a burger. And thats a language that you probably have the opportunity to use on a regular basis. Why, then, would you bother dedicating "puella, puellae; F" to your memory? Well, I remember it because of torturous years of forced learning. You'd have to be a trivia night type of guy to enjoy that sorta thing (some of you know exactly what I am talking about here). Now, if you can tell me why remembering how to say girl in Latin is going to help me on any standardized test, I will apologize.

To be fair, I will agree that learning other languages can be much easier after studying Latin. But wouldn't it just be easy to learn another living language instead of taking a pit-stop in a Latin class first?

If the kids like Latin, let them learn. Any responsible educator should be sure to tell the kids that there are options for them, should they decide to pursue their studies of the classics. It seems to be a pretty interesting field. You get to read interesting work, and it can be interesting to learn Latin and Ancient Greek, if it's your sorta thing. At the same time, the kids should be informed that classics scholars get less play than mathematicians. And thats something to think about.

Read the NY Times Article.

Terreiro de Arte e Cultura coming to Durham soon

Grupo Capoeira Brasil in Durham, NC just got a new home.

Our mestre, Caxias, was in town for a few days. We had lots of rodas, tender feet, and a lot of fun. At the end of it all, we learned a lot, we had a lot of fun, and we began preparations for a space that we will call home. If you're interested in knowing more about who we are, what we do, and WHERE we'll be doing it, goto www.nccapoeira.com

From caxias trip

We need to talk about Dr. Bola's socks.

From caxias trip

Theres something to be said about a man who can walk around confidently with his own sense of style. I would push you to look a little further than this interpretation. It's just too simple for my tastes. I will point out that I might be taking things too far. Dr. Bola did say "You best believe I roll pants tucked, son!" Still, we need to investigate.

This will be an ongoing conversation, but I would like to point out the aggressive nature of the doctor's prior comment regarding his pants and socks. I would ask you, the public, to decide as to whether or not his body language and face convey this attitude. I will agree that there is apparent lack of concern for what you readers may think about the tucked pantlegs. But will we call this a brazen lack of respect, carelessness, or just unmanagable socks? Lets try to figure this out.